Sword Art Online: Surpassing the Limit
by thecoolpebble
Summary: What if Kirito lost the battle against Heathcliff, and the game continued on? That's something the now Commander Asuna must figure out as she navigates the Assault Team through the remaining twenty-five floors. Get ready to see a much darker Asuna without Kirito. Old friends and new ones as well join together to finally escape from Aincrad forever.
1. Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online or any of its characters. All art is official to the series (If I use fanart without thinking, don't hesitate to tell me and I'll correct it. Art for Elucidator and Dark Repulser are from their respective Wikipedia pages.

For the sake of my story, I had to retcon a few things. For one, Heathcliff is a lot more cunning than he canonically is. I tried to at least give him his cryptic vibe. The next thing is Eiji, or his SAO name, Nautilus, from Ordinal Scale. This fanfiction will spoil some plot elements of OS and the original Aincrad arc, but if you read that then you're home free. The rest of the retcons are, Yuna dies much later in the game, around Floor 68-71, which causes Nautilus to seek strength as to never relive those horrifying moments again and joins the KoB after much training and leveling hard. In the end though, his disorder still weighs him down, and he can only truly fight when he's not afraid. Basically Nautilus has a lot more willpower than in canon. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this.

Prologue-Floor 75

Three Months Ago

"I never thought I'd see the day."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I responded grimly to the man, no, the monster who stood before me. Mere moments ago, I was able to prove that Commander Heathcliff was indeed Akihiko Kayaba. Much to the horror of the exhausted 'Clearers', our greatest ally was in fact our very captor himself. After fighting the strongest boss so far, it was extremely demoralizing for everyone that my suspicions were correct.

In return to my question, a wry grin formed on his face. I knew that facial expressions in SAO were exaggerated to a fair degree, yet somehow this grin looked as natural as the detailed blades of grass on floor fifty-six.

 _Only a monster could smile like that while knowing of the blood which stained his hands._

"You see, Kirito, I have been waiting for someone to truly recognize the identity of the Paladin who they served without questioned. I am finally free."

The words echoed throughout the chamber, though I did not understand them.

 _Did he really have the audacity to say that he was, 'finally free' after all of the time us players spent trapped in this game?_

"How dare you Kayaba!" I yelled from the depths of my being. "After all you've put us through, _you're_ finally free?"

Kayaba then opened up what seemed to be a command menu. His fingers typed briefly but fast before confirming whatever it was.

All of a sudden, all of my fellow players collapsed onto the hard barren floor, including the one most dearest to me.

"Kirito… it's paralysis." Asuna, the girl who my whole world now revolved around, said faintly.

"Let everyone go, Kayaba. I'm the one you want. Besides you, I have the highest level out of the remaining six-thousand players. If you wanted to disrupt the progression of the Assault Team, then killing me would be your best option."

He paused for a moment, obviously thinking about something. All I knew was that these next few words would have extreme consequences on the outcome of this game.

"Alright Kirito, I'll cut you a deal. Listen to me very carefully. If you somehow manage to fully deplete my HP and kill me in a fair fight, then everyone will go free. However, in the likely condition that you do lose, the rules of the game remain the same. Everyone will continue on, but you, Kirito, will die."

Deaf to Asuna's vain cries, I accepted the dual invitation, and readied my body, which was still feeling fatigue from the boss battle.

 _This was a battle I was gonna win. No matter the cost._

Kayaba raced toward me. Though speed was something he could not beat me with, his impenetrable defense coupled with the ability to freely switch to offense was the very definition of the unique skill 'Divine Blade'.

With all my might (and with my own unique skill, Dual Blades), I tried to burst through that unbreakable defense. My two blades, Elucidator and Dark Repulser, continuously slashed at the unbreakable shield.

The one I once knew as Commander Heathcliff sat back while I went to work on his shield. After spotting the look in his eyes, I knew he was planning something. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing I could do, I focused on the shield once more.

Whoosh!

The shield swung at me so fluently as if it had a soul of its own. Thankfully, my reaction was on point, for the shield barely missed a collision with my body as I leapt and flew backwards across the open room.

Using this split-second opening in Kayaba's defense, I charged at him with both my swords.

The blades cut with surprisingly little resistance through Kayaba's skin. His health was now in the red and further depleting when something happened. Kayaba was now moving his index and middle finger in two different patterns.

I looked up to the top-left of my screen to find out that I, like the other players here, was suffering from paralysis. On top of that, Kayaba's health had also replenished to the max. It seemed to be that those patterns drawn out by his fingers were much like hotkeys.

 _He assigned system commands to paralyze and regain health all to a few strokes of his finger. That way he wouldn't have to time in the battle to bring up the menu._

"Cheating bastard! You broke our agreement!"

I watched as Kayaba pulled my blades from his body and through me to the ground.

It felt as if a truck weighed down my body due to exhaustion and I knew going on was no longer an option. Yet, despite that fact, I struggled on to beat the system that had claimed many souls. I didn't get very far up when Kayaba slashed my chest. HP near gone and willpower depleted, I decided to reach out one last time to my true love.

"A...su..na." I managed to get out though choked by fresh tears.

"Any last words, Kirito?" Kayaba asked smugly.

There were many things I could say to this monster, yet I let my heart decide for me.

"Kayaba… please... make it where Asuna can't harm herself. At least… for a little while." Tears now flooded down both mine and Asuna's face. "No, stop it!Kirito that's not fair! Kirito!"

"Very well." Kayaba agreed while typing in a system command. "Asuna is now free from damage for the next week."

I looked one last time to Asuna.

"Promise me Asuna. Promise me that you will beat this game. For me, Yui… and everyone in this game. Promise me Asuna."

The woman I loved nodded before saying, "I promise… Kirito."

That was all I needed to know to die happy. Asuna's beauty is the last sight I will see, and I am more content with that fate.

Present Day-Floor 76

It has been three whole months since that day. November seventh, the day Asuna knew in her heart should have been cleared. Heathcliff, or Kayaba Akihiko, had cheated in his duel with Kirito. Then, after killing Kirito, used another command to teleport somewhere far away.

The mental scars remained, however, for the dying words of Kirito were all she focused on now. Like her former self, she became obsessed with beating this game.

As Commander of Knights of the Blood Oath, it was her job to steer the assault team in the right direction without its two most powerful players.

Her first major change was the creation of the buddy system.

Asuna placed harsh leveling quotas on her guildmates, and understanding their complaints, formed the buddy system. Every guild member had a partner to level up and watch each others backs, which would kill two birds with one stone. This of course meant Asuna had a partner as well.

Though she could not imagine having anyone other than Kirito at her back, public opinion was already low enough with Asuna deciding to take the more conservative route such as taking more time to rebuild the Assault Team, so she may even cause a revolt for not following her own commands.

Out of haste, she chose the young player Nautilus as her partner. Nautilus definitely had potential, but was held back by his Full-Dive Non-Conformity. An issue where the Nervegear had trouble intercepting signals from his brain, causing him to have trouble moving when he was afraid, or so the Commander had told her.

Today was the final day of leveling before the long-awaited boss fight at the labyrinth.

The hardened Asuna was walking toward the barracks, where Nautilus currently resided.

Knock! Knock!

"Commander Asuna reporting!" She yelled.

A man looking around the age of thirty opened the door.

"Greetings Commander. May I talk with you about a matter of great concern?" The stout middle-aged man asked.

"Alright, but make it quick."

The man began,

"You see, Nautilus' condition has seemingly gotten worse."

Asuna let out a brief sigh. Nautilus was by no means a weak player, but his unwillingness to tackle high-level bosses would eventually kill someone.

"What is your name, sir?" Asuna asked the worried man.

"Recruit Zat. That is my name and title."

The girl who now controlled the outcome of this death game thought carefully about what to do about this issue. She could always excuse Nautilus permanently from the guild, or she could try to to get it through his head that fear is unnecessary. Yet Asuna herself was deathly afraid as well.

Asuna and Nautilus decided on the East Fields of floor seventy-one. This location would be challenging, yet not too terrifying for Nautilus.

In three hours, the two had leveled up only once, and Nautilus was still under the bare-minimum needed to join the boss raid. Unfortunately, Asuna had to do something about Nautilus before he harmed himself and could always use him as a backup, but the kid could barely fight mobs much less a boss. Knowing there was only one option left, with at least a hint of raw emotion, Asuna said,

"Nautilus, can we speak for a moment?"

The young boy perked up at the question. Asuna could tell from his expression that he knew. He knew that this was the end of his career as a as a Knight of the Blood Oath. He knew that his part in the Assault Team would be passed on to another more fitting of the position.

"Yes, Commander?" He asked nervously.

The words that threatened to leave the cherry-red lips of Asuna made her hesitate.

 _He's a player. Just like me. Is it right to decide his fate? He will surely die without the guild to rely on. He might even commit…._

Asuna could not finish that thought, for it was too dark to bear.

Breaking the stiff silence, Nautilus spoke first.

"I already know I'm useless." He spoke. "I know that I'm no use to the Assault Team, okay?"

The pain in his voice was evident to the hesitating Asuna.

"Nautilus, you don't understand. This is not something I want to do, but the priority of keeping my guildmates safe is second only to getting out of the game."

The level of the boy before her was one-hundred-eight. Asuna's strict rules required everyone in the Assault Team to be at least level one-hundred-ten, so she was hoping she would be able to raise Nautilus to where he needed to be. Unfortunately, an entirely different outcome had occured. She was now planning to excuse Nautilus...permanently. Finally confirming the heartless decision in her head, she final spoke what needed to be said.

"You already know what to do." Asuna said coldly, trying to act like she didn't care. Nautilus, whose head hung low beneath his shoulders, said nothing more as he opened his equipment window. He put all brown leather clothes on. The boy who had just lost everything gave up even more, and resigned from his old life as he gave up the white and red uniform to Asuna.

Asuna had planned on grinding monsters until Nautilus reached the level requirement, but when she saw the lack of confidence he possessed as she confronted him, her mind made itself up.

"You may collect your belongings, but then you must leave." Asuna firmly told him.

Realizing that she walked out here for nothing, Asuna started toward the teleport gate in the city.

It was then that she heard Nautilus. Only this time, his voice was much more grim threatening. The boy she knew was no longer evident in his tone of speech.

"One day. One day you will regret this."

Asuna mustered up all of her willpower to ignore these taunts.

"Get back here!" He said while Asuna continued to walk away and ignore him. "You all think your so high and might, yet you choose who to save."

Asuna swore she saw a single tear run down his left cheek, like he was remembering something, or someone. Indeed, Nautilus had lost someone dear as well.

"You're hero, Kirito, couldn't even get us out of this game. Because of him more people will die! He's a murderer!"

Unable to control herself any longer, the slender hand unsheathed her rapier, and living to her name, dashed like lightning to her target.

The sword just barely grazed the skin of his cheek. Asuna had to restrain herself, or else she would give in to her urges and kill Nautilus.

"If you _ever_ talk about me or K-" She had to stop herself. Since that day, his name has not left her mouth. "If you ever talk about me or him, I won't hesitate to end your life." Asuna's very presence was like paralysis to him. His condition made it impossible to move while he was afraid, and afraid he certainty was.

Asuna let him go before warning him to run and never look back

It was about nine o'clock PM in the floating fortress of Aincrad. Asuna had decided to attend a local celebration on the seventy-sixth floor in the town of Arc Sophia. She wore a 'Cloth Hood' to partially disguise herself. People would eventually find out her true identity if they stared at her for too long and saw her nametag, and chaos would ensue due to her controversiality as a leader. Asuna had deprived herself of "fun" since he died, and she didn't have any intention on changing that fact.

When she finally arrived at the tavern, the party had started. The town was celebrating the Assault Team's return to fighting bosses again. If anyone questioned her excitement, Asuna would respond with, "We do what we have to." Inside, though, she was bursting at the seams, for new progress was about to be made in the war against the death game Sword Art Online. The only reason Asuna trained up the Assault Team first was because of her newfound sense of caution. If the Clearers suffered heavy casualties like they did on floor seventy-five, then the end of the game would be out of reach.

It was at that moment, a hand grabbed Asuna's shoulder.

"Ah!" She shrieked, though the light BGM combined with the cheers of joy drowned out her cries.

"Shhh! It's me, Klein!"

Asuna turned and stood face-to-face with Kirito's old friend. "Fuurinkazan Leader Klein, what are you doing here?" She asked in a condescending tone.

"Calm down, Asuna. We're not at headquarters, you don't have to use honorifics." Klein said in an abnormally depressed tone.

"Come on. You'll stir up trouble in a crowded place like thi-"

"Maybe trouble needs to be stirred up." Asuna interrupted rudely. "After that, people might wake their asses up and realize that there is nothing to truly celebrate until we beat this game!"

It was then that Klein realized just how much damage the loss of Kirito had done to her. Even when Asuna was just the cynical sub-leader, she at least showed visible signs of emotion. Now, all traces of said emotion were gone.

After realizing that talking casually to Asuna would not end well, Klein started to head inside the tavern to join the party. Before he left, though, he said one last thing.

"You cut Nautilus from the Assault Team, didn't you?"

Asuna nodded while maintaining that despair-ridden look. "It was for his safety as well as the guilds'. I will not apologize for making a good call." She knew deep in her cold heart that Nautilus would die, so at least one part of her statement was a lie.

"You might regret that call after you see his new numbers." Klein said in a serious manner before walking into the tavern.

Asuna cared little for the boy Nautilus after he provoked her earlier today, but his last words still echoed in Asuna's mind needed as many able hands as possible.

She burst through the tavern's doors and yelled, "Klein!" All gazes fell upon her as the room went silent with only the BGM music remaining.

"Hey! It's Commander Asuna!" One man shouted. "You may have the right to push us around at headquarters, but you have authority here!" Another party-goer from the large crowd screamed.

At this point, Asuna was fed up with the harrassment from the very people she promised to protect.

Klein had somehow disappeared within the mass of people, but he was no longer Asuna's main concern.

"Are you all in denial?" Asuna asked the crowd in a booming voice. " Or do you just want to accept that we're trapped and make it normal?"

Asuna had always tried her best to stay composed; meaning not many had seen her snap like this. A some of the crowds' faces gained a troubled look, while other became angry. There was one man in particular though who Asuna was curious about. The stranger was tall and muscular, which made it easy to separate him from the crowd. The black beard hovering about four inches below his chin made it reasonable to assume that this man was much older than Asuna. He started walking toward her, and she thought, _Damnit. Just one more grudge against me._

 _"_ Commander Asuna, pleasure to meet you. You may not know me personally, but I have attended many team meetings over the past few floors as part of the Guilty Wanderer's." The stout man said with a surprising amount of respect in his voice.

Asuna knew of this guild, for they had contributed greatly to the 'Clearers'. Though they were a small guild, numbering in just five members, they worked unbelievably well together and could do some damage.

"Yes. I remember the legendary feat your guild accomplished on floor seventy-two." Asuna replied, to which the man chuckled.

"Yeah! You mean the one where two of us jumped up with shields to block the 'Goo King's' attacks, then let go of the shield when the boss tried to slime them, and successfully cut off its arm. All the while, us remaining three on the ground rained many sword skills upon the monsters' body!" The man said, obviously admiring his own stunts.

The crowd continued to murmur before someone said, "Get out of 'ere!"

Asuna knew that was directed at her, but before she could respond to this disrespectful fool, the man who Asuna had previously talking to shouted back first.

"This is your Commander! At least talk to her with respect!"

 _What? He's taking up for... me?_

Asuna couldn't believe what she was hearing. In all this time she had been commander, there had multiple arguments over her decisions as a leader, but she was not prepared to hear it from someone like this.

"If you don't agree with her tactics, that's fine, but she's trying her best to get us out of this death game." The man finished speaking, the turned to Asuna. "You should probably going. I'm sorry things ended like this."

In response Asuna just stuck her hand up motioning for him to stop apologizing.

"Klein, I'll be outside. You have ten minutes to meet me there or so help me-" She was interrupted by the groans of Klein wherever he was.

"Alright, alright." Klein said as he pushed his way through the disorganized mob of people.

Asuna looked back one more time, and saw that some still held anger for her on their faces. Deciding to step away from the negativity, she stepped out of the tavern and onto the bustled streets of Arc Sophia.

After a few minutes of waiting, Klein finally came out to meet with her.

"Heya Asuna." Klein said in an almost depressed tone. Asuna only offered him a deathly cold gaze in return.

"Geez, you really need to lighten up more. Klein said, unaware of the grave mistake he had just committed.

"Shut up Klein!" She said furiously. "If you hadn't have just ignored me, none of that would've happened. Just- just tell what you were going to about Nautilus.

Klein heaved a heavy sigh, for he didn't like the way Asuna had changed. Even though he didn't know Asuna the best, his good friend Kirito did, and he knew that this was not the girl the 'Black Swordsman' married.

"Listen, Nautilus is a high enough level to attend the boss raid tomorrow. He's at level one-hundred-fifteen or higher."

Asuna gasped. She was level one-hundred-thirty-one. Nautilus was but sixteen levels behind her.

"How... did he do that? You know of his issue, right?" Asuna asked, to which Klein answered, "Yeah, you mean his Full-Dive Non-Conformity? I know about that. But here's the thing, his condition only kicks in when he is afraid."

 _Meaning that he's not afraid anymore,_ Asuna thought to herself.

"Thanks for the info Fuurinkazan Leader Klein, but I've got to go now. Get some rest for the boss tomorrow." Asuna stumbled off into the streets, for she was in fact heading to the KoB's base on the fifty-fifth floor to see if Nautilus had already taken his belongings.

When she had arrived at the barracks, Asuna found nothing belonging to Nautilus. It appeared as if he had already left. As to not disturb the recruits who were sleeping, she walked back outside.

While Asuna was having her minute of downtime, a familiar voice rang out.

"Asuna..."

She looked up to find a man dressed in all black, with a sword grasped in each hand.

"K-Kirito." Asuna whispered softly to her lover.

The Kirito before her was translucent and fading. It would only be a few seconds now until he had fully disappeared.

"Kirito... please... don't leave me."

 _The Next Morning_

Bom! Bom! Bom!

Asuna was awoken by a loud noise. Not by the alarm clock she had set for six A.M., but by a knock at the door. Last night, she had stayed at an inn, and regretfully sent her guildmates a message containing her location if they needed here for whatsoever reason.

While she opened up her menu to put her uniform on, Asuna called out to whoever was behind the door.

"Who's there?" She asked.

"It's Recruit Zat, Commander!" The man shouted.

After she got fully ready, Asuna opened the door. Recruit Zat's slender frame stood there in the hallway. He was panting like he had ran here fast.

"What is it Recruit?" She asked in her signature tone.

"Nautilus is outside requesting a duel from you! He's somehow at level one-hundred-nineteen!" Recruit Zat said worriedly.

"Calm down, I'm coming."

When she reached the door to exit the inn, Asuna thought about what might happen.

 _I know he can't beat me, and so should he. Yet, despite that fact, he still wants to duel?_

As Asuna stepped outside, she was able to confirm that Nautilus was indeed there.

He donned leather clothes. In one hand, he firmly grasped a sword, while in the other, an iron shield.

His face wore a threatening sneer as he looked at Asuna.

"What are you doing here, Nautilus?" She asked, to which he responded, "First of all, I'm here to apologize."

The onlookers, as well, as Asuna, were in disbelief.

 _Apologize?_ Asuna wondered.

"I'm sorry for the way I mocked Kirito yesterday. It was rude and uncalled for. But the fact still stands. Commander Asuna, you are a horrendous leader."

The onlookers, who were shocked, now gasped almost simultaneously. An awkward silence was broken by murmurs and whispers. The whispers were in fact about Asuna, and her effectiveness as leader of the Assault Team and Knight's of the Blood Oath.

"What gives you the right to judge me?" Asuna asked as she somehow got even more enraged than before.

To everyone's surprise, Nautilus had an answer to even that.

"I, too, have lost someone dear to my heart, but unlike you, I let my tragedy change me for the better. Every day I pushed myself to the limit. One might even say that I surpassed it." Nautilus was correct on one thing. He did lose somebody close to him. Her name was Yuna. Her and Nautilus logged into SAO together. Unfortunately, sweet Yuna was killed in a dungeon accident. Nautilus could have saved her, but his fear and Full-Dive Non-Conformity prevented his legs from moving.

What pissed Asuna off the most at the moment was the fact that Nautilus truly believed that he had the moral high ground.

"So it is that I ask you, Asuna, do you accept a duel between us?"

A duel menu appeared before Asuna.

'Duel'

'YES' 'NO'

As to not look weak in public, Asuna hit yes, and selected First Hit for the rules.

 _There's no way he can beat me at a First Hit duel with my speed,_ Asuna told herself reassuringly.

The timer ticked down for what seemed like a eternity. Three... two...one.

The two opponents dashed at each other with unbelievable speed.

Asuna rained a flurry of quick light jabs onto the iron shield. Nautilus had a plan, however. If he could get Asuna to put all her weight into a sword skill, then focus on his shield, he would be able to let go of the shield and Asuna would fall to the ground. After he plunged his sword into her, he would end this battle with a victory.

It was at that moment, Nautilus saw it. The tip of Asuna's rapier turned to a flaming blue color, meaning she was about to use a sword skill. Unfortunately for Nautilus, Asuna did not put all of her weight into the skill, so when the shield went flying, Asuna did not go with it. Instead, she was able to slowly turn the skill to Nautilus. The raw strength of the rapier skill, 'Shooting Star', was enough to break through Nautilus' last line of defense, which was his sword. He simply could not block Asuna's rapier from reaching his body. When Asuna finally landed a clean hit, the duel ended.

"Sorry, but you're wrong. You clearly don't understand that we're in a war. A war against this floating castle. Caution will only lead us to victory in the end." Asuna told the boiling Nautilus.

"In the end you'll see, Asuna." Nautilus spoke in a disappointed yet foreshadowing tone. Then, the troubled boy headed to the nearest teleport gate, admitting defeat for today.

 _Later that Day_

"Alright, from the info we gathered, a boss called 'Ghastly Gaze' awaits behind these doors. Only through bravery and strength will we persevere. Watch your partners back, and they will watch yours. Let's go!" Asuna's speech rallied the Assault Team. Everyone roared a massive "Ah!" as they rushed into the boss room.

An unknown light source illuminated the dimly lit room. In the middle of said room was a giant eyeball-like creature. A rot like substance surrounded the eye, making it's appearance all the more disturbing.

The twenty-three members of the Assault Team all surrounded the beast, while Asuna and Klein distracted it, the base of the monster was facing great damage due to the many sword skills now puncturing it's body. It's three-bar health had now quickly been reduced to two bars.

Asuna had chosen Klein as her partner on this raid, so after she stunned the boss, she ordered Klein.

"Gotcha!" Klein yelled back as he bolted toward the boss. His skill of choice was 'Washu', a nine hit katana skill. This, combined with the attacks from down below, lowered the boss' health to just one bar.

 _Guess Nautilus was right. I was too cautious. We're making short work of this thing._

Just as Asuna thought this, something happened with the boss. Attacks were doing far less damage than they previously were. Looking up at the boss, Asuna noticed a permanent defense boost and attack boost.

"Move! Move! It's going to-" But before she could finish, the 'Ghastly Gaze' spun around and knocked the twenty-three players at it's base and Klein to the ground, depleting half of all their health.

"Commander Asuna!" A voice shouted for her attention. The owner of the voice was in fact the man who stood up for Asuna at the tavern. "Commander Asuna, my guild asks for permission to take the lead here."

Asuna hesitated on giving up her lead temporarily before realizing that there was no other option.

"Permission granted. I'll distract it while you guys deal some damage." Asuna ran while shouting to grab the Ghastly Glare's attention. Meanwhile, the Guilty Wanderer's got ready to attack. They surrounded the boss at different angles. The man who asked permission jumped up first and used an sword skill called 'Rage Spike', followed by the others, but even after that, the beast still had a sliver of health left. Taking the lead once more, Asuna jumped up and used 'Star Splash' just as hard as she could.

The boss' health depleted slowly as Asuna used the eight hit skill. When there was but one hit remaining in the skill, the beast's health bar reached zero, and it shattered into a thousand pieces. As a reward for her work, the 'Last Attack Bonus' was granted to her. The bonus was a pair of 'Duel Gloves'.

"Get ready and head to the next floor." Asuna told the injured Assault Team. Then, Commander Asuna headed to activate the teleport gate at floor seventy-seven."

Author's Note: Edit after posting second chapter: Sorry I didn't get the rest of this chapter out on Sunday. It is currently 12:15 A.M. on the 16th of July when I'm writing this, but at least you get something for tomorrow! Anyway, be ready for an even better chapter next Sunday. I plan on releasing the whole chapter at once from here on out. Thanks for reading

Now the rest of this Author's note is from when I wrote the first half of the chapter: I'm thesmallpebble, and thank you for reading SAO: Surpassing the Limit! This is my first official fanfiction...wow. I wanted to get some thoughts on my work before I continued, and I also just couldn't wait any longer because I was so eager. Now, please leave constructive criticism in the reviews. I don't care if you thought it was the worst thing in the world, as long as it's constructive. Hopefully I will be able to set a release schedule soon. Oh, and check out Saint Infernal Neos. Saint's help encouraged me to post this. His stories are pretty good, too. Never thought I'd truly want to read something called, "SAO: The Eroge" but I do. Thanks for reading and a tip o' the hat!


	2. Chapter Two: Girls' Day Off

Chapter Two: Girls' Day Off

 **Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any properties related to SAO. Thank you.**

 **Floor 77- One Day after Chapter One**

 _One_ _day ago, Asuna contributed greatly to the boss fight on floor seventy-six._

Opinions of her leadership practically changed overnight. There were still many who doubted Asuna, though, for the battle stirred new questions. The main concern was how skilled she was as a tactician. Normally, her strategy of hitting the enemy hard and fast would've worked, but because of said strategy, many Assault Team members could have lost their lives.

Asuna attempted to dissuade any thoughts of her controversiality as she ate her food. Nowadays, she couldn't even eat out at a local restaurant due to her popularity. If she was seen doing anything even remotely normal, one of two reactions would occur. She would either get gawked at or mocked depending on the person's opinions.

A notification icon flashed at the upper right of her vision indicating that a message had been sent to her. Opening her menu, the sender of the message was a person Asuna had not spoken to for awhile.

"Lisbeth?" She whispered to herself. As she clicked the message, its contents spilled out over the menu.

 _Dear Asuna,_

 _Hey, I'm sorry it's been so long. I know that's a crappy excuse, but it's all I got at the moment. First off, I needed time for myself. You probably didn't know this, Hell, nobody knows this, but Kirito and I once went on a sort of adventure together. Long story short, he was a good friend of mine. I will be the first to admit that my reason is selfish, but I don't want to lie to you._

 _Secondly, I didn't want to upset you because I know you don't like pity, so I regrettably distanced myself from you._

 _Anyway, meet me at the 77th floor town of Auburn at 3 pm. Let's catch up!_

 _-Your favorite blacksmith, Lisbeth._

 _Huh, what a nice surprise._ She thought happily to herself.

It was only nine A.M., so Asuna still had time until the meetup.

For the first time in a long while, Asuna felt happy. Forgetting about Kirito for right now, she decided to choose a quest from the board. As she walked over to the quest board, and a certain piece of paper caught her eye. It was a player made newspaper. Normally, Asuna would try her damnedest to stay away from them, but the heading was what really got her intrigued.

"Commander Asuna CHALLENGED by Player Nautilus"

An attractive title was all it took for such a read to get noticed. Speaking of getting notice, there were two reasons why Asuna had yet to be swarmed by players and press alike. For one, the seventy-seventh floor was still relatively unknown to most. Not only that, but besides, many chose not to visit the current human frontier, for the masses are petrified of the unknown. Plus, It was an off day, so go figure.

The rest of the paper recapped their duel, but seemed to portray Nautilus as a righteous hero. Asuna would be the first to admit, Nautilus' speech would seem just out of context, but she knew deep down that floor seventy-six could have easily become a massacre had she not chosen to rebuild the Assault Team during those three months.

 _So, they really do cherry pick viewpoints in these articles._ Asuna wondered why she wasn't surprised.

After searching for awhile, there seemed to be nothing good to choose from.

 _I guess I can attempt to map at least some of this floor._

With that thought, the refreshed commander of the KoB headed onto uncharted territory.

 **Two Hours Later-Field's of Purity on the 77th Floor**

For a whole two hours, Asuna had been busy mapping the areas outside of town in search of the labyrinth. Labyrinth are a pathway to the boss room and the next floor, so it normally would be in view from as far as the city. For some reason, though, there was no sign of such thing.

 _How… is this possible? The labyrinths are normally huge, so why can't I spot it?_

Such a thought was interrupted by a loud scream from right behind her. "Booooo!"

"Ahhhh!" Asuna squealed before noticing the smiling girl behind her. "L-Lisbeth?"

"Who else would be this cute?" The pink-haired girl Lisbeth grinned deviously.

"Don't… just, how did you find me?" Asuna asked in a surrendering tone.

Lisbeth clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth a few times while shaking her pointer finger. "Seems like someone forgot the basics. You do know that I'm still on your friends list, right? Anyone on that list can track your very location."

 _Very...location?_ Asuna thought worriedly. _Good thing I don't have many friends._ She then awkwardly chuckled to herself, making Lisbeth a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, it sure is good to see you again." Asuna sympathetically told Lisbeth.

Truth be told, Lisbeth had been affected by the loss of Kirito greatly as well. The girl had put away all feelings for him when she found out he truly belonged to Asuna. Even so, the lonely blacksmith still awaited the "Black Swordsman" every day in hopes he would require her services and return. He never did come. Lisbeth held no anger to Asuna nor Kirito, for she knew their duty as front-line players was to get people like her out of this death game. Still, that did not ease the pain in her heart.

When she found out Kirito had been killed on the seventy-fifth floor, her heart shattered like a glass pitcher being slammed against the tile floor. After closing her humble smithy, the broken girl stayed far out of sight. Until one day...

 **Two Months and Ten Days Ago**

It was a chilly night in the fiftieth floor town of Algade. The seventeen year old Lisbeth had briefly went shopping for bread in the market, and was now heading back to the inn which had served as her home for the past month.

The usual hustle of the city was still very much ongoing, yet Lisbeth had blocked out all noise at this point. Well, _almost_ all noise.

"Help! Help!" The desperate voice of a man shouted out from the distance, snapping Lisbeth out of her mindless daze.

Suddenly, a group of high-level players dashed by at the speed of sound. Curious of the commotion, the ex-blacksmith tried her best to pursue the mysterious iron-cladded men.

When the group reached the distressed victim of an unknown opponent, Lisbeth noticed something about the leader. In one hand he held a single longsword. That was fairly normal, but what wasn't was that an the outline of a second sword could be seen sheathed on his back.

"Huh!" Lisbeth gasped. Covering her mouth as the truth penetrated her soul.

 _He's… dual wielding!_

That supposed dual wielder's name was Brent. Shortly after Kirito died, he noticed a new skill had appeared on his list. This skill was in fact, "Dual Blades". Overnight, Brent, a lower level player, gained a literal advantage over his fellow players.

The level seventy-four sixteen-year old did indeed have the fastest reaction time in the whole game.

Needing another player to assume the role of "Dual Wielder", the Cardinal System actively sought out the one with the best reaction time until it reached Brent.

Fortunately for the other players, Brent's heart was pure. In fact, Brent looked up to the now deceased front-line player Kirito.

Knowing that his newly acquired skill would provide more than enough safety, Brent promised himself that he would use this blessing to clear the game. No matter how long it took.

Of course, Brent was still sure to conceal this gift for his own protection, but he would not hesitate if a life was ever in danger. But one day, when the boy was out leveling on the seventieth floor, he was caught using his ever so powerful skill.

The group which had found out his secret seemed trustworthy enough, and Brent had been looking for an excuse to head to the front lines with his current level, eighty-nine. His whole life changed the moment he spoke the words, "How would you like to head to the front lines with me?"

The five men were rightfully shocked, but they, too, shared the dream of fighting the supposed, "War Against Aincrad".

Now they were here; receiving a tip from a contact about harassment. Brent, being the hero that he desperately wanted to be, charged head first onto the fiftieth floor.

Paying no mind to the pink-haired youth behind him, Brent asked the screaming man what happened.

"There was hooded man! He-he hit me. I don't know how! It was just…"

"Calm down." Brent told the man reassuringly. "Bub, Joe? Get this man to an inn." He asked his party members.

Lisbeth, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "How…?" Brent noticed Lisbeth was eyeing his sheathed second blade, and put his finger over his mouth, signalling for Lisbeth to shush. He glanced back once to make sure the victim was receiving proper treatment before heading toward Lisbeth.

"Damn it. You saw it, didn't you?" Brent asked while he opened the equipment menu, then proceeded to unequip the second sword.

Lisbeth nodded at his question. "Rookie mistake. Well, I hope you know how to keep a secret?" He asked. Lisbeth tried her hardest to suppress the burning urge of informing this dual-wielding stranger that she knew his predecessor, but she lost that internal struggle.

"You're not the first." She said coldly. Brent nervously chuckled before realizing the truth behind those words, then confirmed his knowledge of the situation.

"Yeah, I know about about the fabled 'Black Swordsman' Kirito."

Lisbeth wasn't satisfied, for she could not allow this inexperienced player disgrace Kirito's name just because he gained the unique skill.

The girl opened her friends list, and scrolled to the greyed out name "Kirito".

Brent looked curiously at the newly opened screen, but was soon put in his place when he spotted the name.

"Kirito…" He muttered under his breath. "You knew him?"

"Forged his Elucidator." She grinned as she talked.

A new question popped into Brent's head. "Your blacksmithing skill must be real high." To which Lisbeth nodded to that as well.

That eventually led Brent to a great idea.

"You know how this skill works, huh? You know, our party could always use a blacksmith."

Lisbeth could not believe what she was hearing. A dual-wielder was once again proposing an adventurous offer to her.

Stuttering nervously, Lisbeth tried to give a neutral answer, "I-I'll have to, uh, think about it."

Brent stroked his chin, thinking, then said, "Can I see how high your blacksmithing skill is?"

It was considered taboo to see another's skills, but Lisbeth felt that him knowing how good of a blacksmith she was wouldn't kill her. Opening her UI, she pointed to the high leveled skill that was blacksmithing. Brent jumped back, startled after seeing how many skill points the girl had put into it.

After that event, Lisbeth went back to the inn to clear her excited head.

 _I could join his party! No, No. That would only drag me down. But wouldn't Kirito want me to help this new dual-wielder?_ These thoughts raced until Lisbeth finally decided to give it a try.

 **Present Day**

"Wow. So that's what you've been up to these past months." Asuna said. "Yep. And that's how the guild of 'Misty Fog' was founded.

 _Guild of…'Misty Fog'?_ Asuna wondered, for she had never heard of that name. She was also surprised about the new Dual Wielder, though she had been suspecting someone had to get the skill eventually.

"So…What are we gonna do?" Lisbeth asked cheerfully. Asuna hadn't thought of the plans for today, but decided to wing it and hope for the best.

"Well, I was going to search for the labyrinth, but that doesn't seem possible as of yet." Asuna said while stubbornly admitting defeat to this floor's intricate layout.

Lisbeth was disappointed by this answer, for the Asuna she truly knew would have never given up that easily. "You know what?" Lisbeth asked sassily. "Let's find this labyrinth! Right now!"

 _What the Hell? Lisbeth was never this persistent. But maybe…_

Asuna suddenly came to the realization that Lisbeth simply wanted Asuna to hang out with her.

 _She's lonely. I… didn't know Kirito meant so much to her._

"Fine. Got any ideas on where to start looking for this hidden labyrinth?" Asuna asked while simultaneously agreeing to Lisbeth's demand.

Lisbeth thought about that for a moment, then said, "What if it only appears after completing a certain quest? Like some sort of trigger."

Though a labyrinth had never been 'triggered' before, neither had one ever been invisible like it was now. Lisbeth's theory held some plausibility, but that would beg the question. What quest would be so important as to trigger a labyrinth?

"Hey, Asuna?"

"Yes?'"

"Every floor has a main dungeon, right?"

"Well, uh, ye- Wait a minute!"

Asuna yelled as Lisbeth snickered. "Are you implying that…We take on a main dungeon by ourselves?"

The daring Lisbeth continued to giggle wildly to herself. She had indeed planned on taking on the dungeon with Asuna.

Unfortunately, the Commander Asuna was much different than the sub-leader Asuna whom Lisbeth knew so well. The woman who stood before her was much colder than she remembered. It was like a different soul entirely inhabited this beautiful body.

Discouraged and heartbroken after Asuna's seeming rebuttal of her intrepid idea, Lisbeth decided to head back to the inn before embarrassing herself any further. The outline of her pupils felt oddly wet, and before the girl had any idea of the situations, her cheeks grew red as hot liquid gushed down the sides of her face.

As Lisbeth tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for bailing so early, Asuna noticed the struggle in her best friend's voice.

"Lisbeth…?" Asuna asked gently to the weeping Lisbeth. "What is it, Asuna?" Lisbeth replied in a surprisingly aggressive tone of voice.

Asuna was taken back by the anger radiating from the depths of her friend's very being, but quickly regained her usual stark composure and finished her question.

"Do you _really_ want to assault the dungeon on our own?" Asuna asked.

"Well, I do-not! No! I-I do. I mean-" Asuna halted this frenzy when she shocked even Lisbeth by saying, "I do." with a comforting smile.

 **Two Hours Later in the Dungeon of "Lizard's Terrain"**

"Look, Asuna! Isn't that an NPC up ahead?" Lisbeth said as she pointed toward the outline of a humanoid figure.

"Affirmative." Asuna replied while looking at it's cursor.

When the pair reached the unknown thing, it's uncanny appearance was initially off putting. The smile that was seemingly glued upon its face disturbed Lisbeth, but her fears eased after remembering that Asuna was at her side.

This deathtrap of a dungeon had yet to cease the two's progress by even a smidge. Of course, it wasn't easy venturing this deep into unknown territory, especially with their lack of numbers. But what the pair lacked was easily made up for with sheer willpower combined with their determination to find this lost labyrinth.

Every single "Lizard Beast" so far had been dispatched crudely but thoroughly by Asuna's rapier. Lisbeth mostly stood by nervously while the girl with the sparkling rapier did the heavy-lifting, but would occasionally 'Switch' when Asuna needed to wait through the cooldown process of each skill. When the cooldown period ended, Asuna would blaze forth directly toward the enemy.

Lisbeth noticed a certain aura seemingly vibrating off the thin blade belonging to the Commander Asuna. The item was supposedly made entirely of polygons, but it almost seemed as if it were alive.

 _No. That's impossible._

Lisbeth reassured herself before initiating conversation with the NPC first.

"Heya, buddy." She said in a casual voice in order to alert the NPC's protocols. When the words reached the NPC, he looked at the two with his unnerving features before beginning to speak.

"Help, help! My wife's stuck in there! The ruble fell while she was on the other side."

The way he said that with such a smile made the two tense once more.

"Stand back." Asuna said, though Lisbeth could not guess if she was directing the command at her or the man. With that said, Asuna activated a skill unknown to the retired blacksmith. The raw power exerted from the skill sent the ruble flying away. For a moment, Lisbeth was worried that the woman supposedly behind the ruble would be damaged. But no one was there.

The Commander and the mace wielder entered the oddly lit room. No one else was there. "Hey, wasn't your wife supposed in here?" Asuna asked. At that very moment, the ruble collapsed again. All the while, "Lizard Freak"s spawned all around them. "Stand back Liz!" Asuna commanded. Lisbeth looked around, but saw that monsters were all around them.

"Asuna, they're everywhere." Lisbeth said worriedly. Asuna's ego had been gravely injured by this event. Knowing that she, the Commander, could have been so stupid as to be lured into a trap. "Lisbeth, I know you're not a fighter, but you're adept with a mace, correct?" Lisbeth nodded at this question, then Asuna began again, "Good. Because we won't get out alive if any one of us lacks the grit and strength to get this done.

Asuna led the charge while ordering Lisbeth to get her back up against a wall. The Commander Asuna was evident no more. Instead, the "Lightning Flash" rebirthed from the depths of Asuna's broken heart. Lisbeth helped, but was extremely focused on the way Asuna fought.

 _She fights with everything. Doesn't she?_

Lisbeth finally noticed the reason for Asuna's success. Everything she did was done to the fullest.

"Aaaa!" Asuna screamed viciously while slashing her rapier horizontally in as she jumped in the air. The first beast to go down was split in half, but Asuna had to rebound quickly as to fend off the other monster behind her. Lisbeth reverted back to focusing all her might on the one before her.

Four "Lizard Freak"s were all Asuna had to take care of. Originally there were seven, then Asuna killed one, and Lisbeth was handling two on her own.

All four rushed at Asuna, forcing the girl to use the skill, "Spinning Jet". Upon activating it, the skill guided her. Her body twisted and spun around as the beasts took heavy damage from the rapier. Asuna's chestnut flew with wind, and her hazel-brown eyes were determined to win.

When the skill had ceased, all four monsters were now on the ground with half-depleted health. One rebounded quickly, though, and went for Asuna's blindside.

"Asuna! Watch out!" But it was too late. The warrior-girl spun around only to find the sharpened edge of a lizard's blade.

Shhk!

The blade made a disturbing sound as it pierced Asuna. At that point, the other creatures were raising their hideous faces in an attempt to get up from the rocky floor.

"No! Not you too, Asuna!" Lisbeth yelled passionately while charging forward, mace in hand. She went for the one nearest to her as it struggled to regain its footing. Its tries were in vain as Lisbeth quickly put an end to his artificial life. Then, stuck the second one hard, killing it. The next nearest "Lizard Freak" was attacking the defensless Asuna. The beast had no time to react before Asuna activated a skill, whacking its head off with a single strike.

"Three left." Lisbeth muttered with a killer instinct.

Asuna, now able to stand, charged for one while Lisbeth held off the other two. Lisbeth had other plans.

Using both the head and hilt of the mace to pin the two lizards against the hard wall, Lisbeth pushed harder, and harder. Until…

Pop!

The pressure was to much for their thin throats, and the amphibious heads gave in. Before the two green heads hit the ground, they disappeared in a ray of light, and the lizard's torsos shattered into blue pixels as well.

Asuna had long since finished off her lizard, and was now staring wide-eyed at the feat Lisbeth just accomplished. Smiling, Lisbeth walked past her and mothed, "thank you."

"You. Talk." Lisbeth commanded the now feeble NPC.

In an automated voice in line with his programing, he said, "Oh, no. How did you- Never mind. Leave and enter the labyrinth. It's there." The man pointed to the giant tower.

The two girls eyed their surroundings, but noticed that the dirt and rock surrounding them had now been replaced by blue skies and green grass.

"I-is that…"

"The labyrinth." Asuna finished Lisbeth's sentence for her.

The even more astonishing fact was that it looked to be extremely narrow, meaning that it would be a straight shot up to the boss room.

"Lisbeth, you were right after all." Asuna whispered softly. "Heh. I guess I was." Lisbeth said sounding even more surprised herself.

The NPC had disappeared, and the girls were alone in the grass, looking up at the great sky which enveloped the entirety of this world.

"Lisbeth…I'm sorry."

The mace wielder was originally confused at Asuna's apology, for this had been one of her favorite days in Aincrad so far.

"Asuna, you don't understand. You've finally showed me something I've long been searching for."

"No. I don't need lies to fill for pity. Lisbeth, I've neglected _you_ , my only real friend in this floating fortress."

Lisbeth said nothing as Asuna quietly sobbed. But eventually, she could hold her piece no longer. "You...You don't have to take the blame for this. I'm-I'm just as guilty as you!" She blurted. "I was so alone! But you decided to talk to me, a humble blacksmith. Asuna, I can never repay you for your help."

"Lisbeth…"

The two gripped each other in a tight embrace. Reunited at last, the inseparable duo forgot about the pain this cruel world had brought them. A friendship that would test the boundaries of time.

Letting go, Asuna wiped away the tears from her apple red cheeks, and said with a determined smile, "If your guild really is led by a dual-wielder, then this floor is ours for the taking."

 **Somewhere at an Inn on Floor 73**

"Good job, aye boss?" Brent's second in command, Rusty, asked cheerfully. "Yep! Hey, man, did I show you the new loot?"

Brent popped open his menu then clicked on his 'ITEMS' category. He scrolled until he reached the bottom, which showed his recently acquired gear. With a single tap, everything was revealed about this item.

It was a necklace. Jewels littered the beautiful aesthetic design, making it seem all the more valuable. The name of this drop was 'Divine Jewel of the Ten'.

"But boss, its stats are blank!"

Indeed, the stats of the item were nonexistent.

Beep! Beep!

Brent and Rusty had both gotten the notification of new mail.

"It's from Lisbeth." Brent murmed before nodding at Rusty. "It reads as follows,"

" _Hey guys! I'm with Commander Asuna. She would like to know if the guild can spare some time and help her defeat a boss floor."_

Brent had to confirm he wasn't dreaming. Rusty had a mega grin stretched out from ear-to-ear. "Rusty...We aren't dreaming, are we?"

The man sitting beside him shook his head.

Next, Brent pinched himself.

 _Ow! Yep. Definitely real._

"Get the guild together, Rusty! We're going on a boss raid!"

 **Two Days Later at the Entrance to the Labyrinth**

"Alright, people!" Asuna spoke in her naturally strict tone. "My name's Asuna, and I will lead you to success in this boss raid. Now, here's the plan: We will work our way up this labyrinth with all we've got. Then, upon reaching and entering the boss room, each of us will line up for sword skills one at a time. This boss is blocking our path. What will we do?"

"Kill it!" The Assault Team shouted in response.

"The boss is a giant crab. It's name is the 'Crystal Claw'. Show it no mercy!" Asuna finished. Her and Lisbeth had ran up the labyrinth at unreal speeds, and caught a glimpse of the boss up top earlier. Of course, getting back down was much harder, but the two burst through the enemy lines and back to the bottom at even faster speeds than before.

Today, Asuna planned on beating this boss. Though she had fun with Lisbeth two days ago, Asuna realized that she was still the Commander. So, even though it was against her will, she had to return to her usual self. But the girl had learned something, at least.

It was alright for her to be herself every once and awhile.

Being with Lisbeth once more opened up plenty of new and exciting opportunities. Not only that, but Asuna felt something stir within her heart. Kirito was happy with her.

The whole Assault Team charged into the labyrinth, where they were greeted by 'Horned Lizards'. About fifty of them, against twenty-five members of the Assault Team. They had most likely been dragged out by Asuna and Lisbeth when they ran by here. The surprised Asuna slowly came to the conclusion that the floor-boss would not fall today.

"Draw them outside! We can take them in an open area!" Asuna ordered.

The Assault Team went back outside, followed relentlessly by the lizards. When they had all got into position, the battle began.

Everyone had a lizard to destroy, and Lisbeth was no exception. The girl tried desperately to dispatch the three who were after her. Fear's grip caught her, and the war cries of the Assault team drowned out Lisbeth's screams. Mostly…

The dual-wielder Brent had been keeping a close eye on his guildmate, Lisbeth. When he saw the blade that would ultimately end Lisbeth's precious life fall, he reacted accordingly. Lisbeth looked up to find the honed-edge of a silver blade barreling down from above. She braced herself, but it never quite fell. The only thing Lisbeth heard was the ear-splitting sound of metal on metal.

Brent had just barely been able to deflect the hurtling blade before it reached his friend. The other two lizards joined in on the attack against the boy, but even they, the strongest type of mob on this floor, could not prevail against the pure might of dual-wielding. It was now that people took notice of Brent's unique skill, but he did not mind.

Their blades shattered from the force. Using this advantage, Brent slashed his blade in a line from right to left, killing all three lizards.

"Looks like you could use a hand there miss." The swordsman said charmingly to Lisbeth while extending his right hand.

Asuna looked over, and Brent nodded. Now knowing that her friend was out of harm's way, she fought even harder.

The Assault Team had been dealt no losses as the lizards army started to thin. It was about twenty-five to thirty at this point. Asuna in particular was making progress in this battle.

Two years ago, Brent had just barely begun high-school. He was by no means a social butterfly, but he had friends. His life was rather dull, yet the boy seemed content. He would have no idea what would come.

Now, he fought a life or death battle with giant lizards. In this world, Brent was free from rule. He could be who he wanted to be, and do what he wanted to do. The attachment he had garnered to was almost to the point of obsession.

Yet, his urge to help people trumped that obsession greatly. Though he would miss this fortress of iron and steel, he understood that the game had to be cleared for everyone's sake. The boy would never admit it, but he, too, desperately sought to return home.

Shaking off these troublesome thoughts, Brent sat Lisbeth down outside of the ongoing battle. The feelings he felt for this girl were unknown to him.

"I'll be back for you, so hang tight." He said. Lisbeth simply smiled in return.

He jumped furiously back into the fray. The swords grasped in each hand were nothing special. Just monster drops unworthy of being called "partners".

One lizard noticed Brent, and strayed from his path to another member of the Assault Team. Brent readied an attack, but him distracting the monster allowed another player to strike it first. The man looked on with amazement at Brent's dual-wielding at first, but soon returned to the fight. With that over with, Brent went to help someone else who was being overpowered.

Asuna noticed that the Assault Team had now grouped themselves into pairs of two or more, for the number of monsters was now less than the players.

The rapier-wielding girl used the skill 'Delta Attack', and the lizard before her dispersed into a thousand pieces of light.

Everyone else seemed to be doing the same, as the battle had practically ended.

In the end, the Assault Team had come out relatively unscathed due to Asuna's quick thinking. Of course, they were no longer fit for a full boss raid.

"Head home for today. Tomorrow, we meet here at dawn. Five o'clock specifically. Good job today, guys. Honest."

 **That Night**

"Wow, Asuna seemed to be in a pleasant mood today." One person murmured to their group. "Yeah. And that new dual-wielder seems to be on our side." said another.

Sayings like this had been gossiped about throughout all of today. Lisbeth had overhead these conversations countless times already.

It was just turning dark, but the newly-opened pub on floor seventy-seven was already bustling with activity.

Lisbeth had attended this "Grand Opening" for the fresh gossip, but was even more intrigued at the fact that opinions of Asuna were turning around so quickly. Tomorrow, Asuna's true ability to lead would be put to the test.

 **The Next Morning, Outside the Labyrinth**

"Alright, people! It's a straight shot up the labyrinth from here. The only foe standing in our path is the boss at the top!"

The rallying cries of Commander Asuna ignited the spirit lying dormant within the hearts of the Assault Team. With a proper plan and strong numbers, the group stormed up the labyrinth.

Upon reaching the large gates, Asuna showed no hesitation before pushing them open.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a giant crab. The 'Crystal Claw' to be exact.

It's deadly claws looked as if they could rush the group at any moment. "Everyone, get in formation!" Asuna ordered.

Sure enough, the Assault Team members got into their respective positions.

The beast was now surrounded, yet it did not seem to care. Everyone stood silent as the crab began to make its first move.

Upon realizing the direction of the impending attack, Asuna yelled, "Everybody step back!"

Like a child obeying its mother, the Assault Team listened and dodged the spinning claw.

Brent had personally told Lisbeth to act with caution this time, but Asuna seemed to trust in her friend's abilities too much. In the end, Lisbeth agreed to be careful, but would still try her best to help Asuna. In the end, did Brent's authority as Lisbeth's guild leader override Asuna's authority as Commander? And could either of those positions hold anything over the unbreakable bonds the two girls had?

Brent decided to trust Lisbeth as well, so could focus all of himself upon this boss.

Asuna leapt off with the first skill, 'Flashing Lance', one of the strongest of all rapier skills. Although it barely put a dent in the creature's HP, Lisbeth's attack would do some real damage.

"Switch!" Asuna barely got out through gritted teeth.

The mace-wielder followed her orders, and used the skill, 'Raining Bullets'. This lowered the first of three HP bars to half.

Others followed suit, but as soon as Asuna saw an attack coming, her safety instincts kicked in, and the Assault Team dodged every attack that she had predicted.

It's first bar had depleted when things started to get serious.

Normally, there was a pattern to these bosses' attacks, but this was not a normal fight. The crab's attacks grew more and more impossible to predict, and eventually, the Assault Team had grown weary. Their HP had been slowly whittled away by this crab, and with things only getting worse, group morale was low.

Soon, no damage was being dealt to the crab that still had two full bars of health remaining.

Out of a plan, Asuna had to use her old tactics to get the Assault Team through this. The crab was standing still, and everyone had scattered to the other side of the boss room. This was where Asuna formed a new plan.

"Hold your heads high. Failure here is not an option. But don't worry, for I have a plan. If most of us gather at the base of the boss, we can slowly chip away its health. Sure, it's extremely risky, but it just might work. Today, a new guild will deliver the fatal skills. They are the 'Misty Fog'. Led by the known dual-wielder, Brent. We've have gotten success out of this strategy so far, so let's keep riding it. We will not lose!"

Everyone stuck to the plan, including Asuna, who went along to attack from the ground.

Brent clenched his teeth, then looked once more at his guild.

Lisbeth, the blacksmith who always donned a cheerful smile.

Rusty, the stunner with a heart of gold.

Chubb, the attacker who was friendlier than his title gave him credit for.

Finally, Tini, the healer-girl who always put her life on the line to use a health potion on the guild.

They all gazed on upon their leader with eyes filled with respect. He would do anything for his guildmates, as they would for him.

Brent nodded, then ran up to the boss followed by his friends.

As the first in line, Brent started out strong with 'Starburst Stream'. Next, Rusty used paralysis to stun the 'Crystal Claw'. After that, Chubb rained down hits with the skill, 'Dancing Spear'. Finally, Lisbeth used the mace skill, 'Guilty Charge'. Tini healed them up to start the cycle all over again.

"Back up! Attack incoming!" Asuna yelled.

But it was too late. Eight members desperately struggled to outrun the claw, but failed. Their lives had now ended.

The group watched on with pure horror. Eight members had been taken out at once with one swift strike.

Asuna tried to separate the Assault Team from the 'Crystal Claw' so they could regroup, but unlike last time, the crab did not give up chase.

"Brent, do you think your guild and I alone can finish off the boss' last bar of health?" Asuna asked.

Brent had a limited amount of time to respond before the crab reached them and the rest of the weakened Assault Team.

"Yes." Was the only thing Brent could say.

His guild looked worried, but a reassuring smile from their leader calmed them.

Asuna led the charge, and met the crab head on with her best rapier skill, 'Blazing Sparks', the twenty hit combo.

She had no time to dodge, however, and was sent flying with dangerously low health.

"Asuna!" Lisbeth yelled as she ran over to her gravely wounded best friend.

"Damnit." Brent muttered beneath his breath, for Lisbeth had left the lineup that would decide this battle.

After the crab finished its attack, Rusty paralyzed the creature once more. The rest of the guild executed their sword skills perfectly.

As soon as the skills were done, the 'Misty Fog' members rushed back to safety. The problem was that the monster still had some health left.

Tini used an endurance potion on her guild so they could be ready for the next attack.

Brent stood up and ignorantly went for the crab's legs. He was met with a direct blow to the head by the beast's claw. If not for the endurance potion, his health would have no doubt depleted fully.

Lisbeth took notice of Brent's collision while trying to resuscitate the unconscious Asuna.

"Brent…" She said through tears as the 'Crystal Claw' turned its attention to the vunerable Assault Team.

She knew what had to be done, otherwise everyone here would die. Gathering every last bit of courage, Lisbeth reached into her soul and pulled out an unmatched determination.

The girl put everything into her mace as she ran. Memories of Kirito flashed sporadically throughout her head. Lisbeth swore she could _feel_ Kirito smiling down on her, however strange it may sound. With her best skill, Lisbeth leapt from behind the unexpecting beast.

"Raging Pulse." Lisbeth repeated the name of the skill.

She thrust downward with all her might, even when she could feel the resistance of the crab's outer shell. Lisbeth kept pushing as the creature flailed about with her on its body.

With a _crack_ , Lisbeth broke through the shell and into the flesh of the monster. When she made final impact, the beast dispersed its shards while Lisbeth fell to the ground.

 **Epilogue**

"So you're finally here, boy. Have you gathered the _ones_ like I asked?" The intimidating man asked from his chair in the dark room.

"No… I'm sorry." The boy responded.

The stout man stood up, but did not step fully into the light.

"I see. Well, this is all very disappointing. I expected better from you… Nautilus."

 **Author's Note**

Phew! That was a long chapter, but I tried my best to polish it like a real story to make it better than chapter one. Sorry for the cliffhanger as well. Just want to keep everyone hooked. Anyways, thank you for reading chapter two of SAO: Surpassing the Limit. It is now early Sunday morning when I'm writing this, so I'm glad I'll be able to get some rest now XD.

Also, I publish a full chapter every Sunday. If I can't get a chapter out or It's not ready, I'll try my best to contact my followers before hand. Remember to follow this story and me as an author so you can see when I upload!

As always, please leave constructive criticisms in the comment section, and be sure to tune in next Sunday as well.

Tip o' the hat

-thecoolpebble


	3. Short Story 1 - Klein

**The** _ **NEW**_ **Kirito?!**

 **Read on to Find Out!**

Aincrad's player-run newspaper service was just as exaggerated as they were in the real world. Titles that seemed too good to be true earned the writers plenty of col, leaving the newspaper as an undeniably profitable business. Klein, though, wouldn't fall prey to such titles easily, but today was an exception. Today, the dual-wielder Brent was making headlines as "the new Kirito." Of course, anyone who met Kirito would know that no-one could ever truly replace him, no matter what special skill they had.

Klein purchased the paper and opened it up from his inventory. As he skimmed through the text, he noticed that the article praised Brent to a great extent, making Klein a bit annoyed at the truth: The media needed someone for the public to look up to, and without Kirito, they naturally selected Brent (the NEW dual-wielder) as a replacement. Klein couldn't accept such blasphemy, for he knew Kirito well, and hated to see his old friend's legacy fade away so quickly.

"Damn it, Kirito. You had to leave us at a time like this." Klein cursed under his breath, and for the first time in a long time, his eyes began to grow wet as small tracks of tears slid down his face.

 _No. I can't cry, not while there's still 22 more floors left._ He thought as a wave of determination suddenly overtook him. Klein felt better than he ever had in these two years in Aincrad, for he knew that his old buddy would always be with him no matter what. He looked virtual sky. _Thank you, Kirito._

 **Author's Note: After a long absence, I'm back! I'm not completely sure yet how the new release schedule will work, but I want to start writing for this story weekly again. Don't hold your breath, but Surpassing the Limit may be returning once more!**


	4. Chapter Three - Built to Last

**Chapter 3- Built to Last**

 **Immediately after Floor 77 Boss Fight**

The Assault Team gazed on with awe. Even Lisbeth herself could hardly come to believe that she had landed the killing blow against a boss. Fame was not in her thought process at this time, as Lisbeth's only worry was for the life of the unconscious Asuna.

The girl ran over to her best friend's side, disregarding the 'last hit bonus' which was now stored securely in her inventory.

"Asuna!" She yelled as she arrived at the gravely injured girl.

Thanking God from above, she saw that Asuna had but a sliver of health left. The blow hadn't killed her, just knocked her unconscious.

"What are all of you gawking at? Help me!" Lisbeth screamed angrily at the immobile Assault Team.

Most of the crowd was startled beyond belief at the furious Lisbeth's command. One man, though, stepped forward to heed that order.

"Lisbeth of the 'Misty Fog', allow me to help. I've always respected Asuna as a leader, and would like nothing more than to pay her back for the strength she has instilled in me." The man was the one who took up for Asuna at the bar. Though Asuna did not know his name, she was still very thankful for what he did.

Lisbeth nodded in reply, and the large man swung Asuna over his shoulder before taking charge and ordering, "Move out!" to the Assault Team.

 **Later that Day**

 _Faster. Faster_. She thought as the woods seemed to be closing in on her.

"You let them die…" The enveloping darkness spoke. "You let them die, Asuna, and now you will learn the pain that you have inflicted."

"Leave me be!" Asuna screamed as she desperately sought the light the grew ever so near, yet seemed to always be so far away.

The darkness changed its voice to that of familiarity. "Asuna…" Kirito cried out. "Why..."

Then, there she was again. Asuna looked around to find that she was in the seventy-seventh floor boss room. The 'Crystal Claw' prepared an attack, and swung hard. Asuna tried to warn the eight players standing directly in harm's way, but failed to do it quick enough. The claw killed all of them in one swing, and Asuna could only watch them die. Under her command, eight people had been murdered.

"I'm… sorry…"

The young Asuna awoke to find herself covered in a pair of tears. She was still sobbing relentlessly.

Lisbeth heard the loud cries of Asuna, and ran up the stairs to see what was the matter.

"Asuna, what's wrong?" Lisbeth asked.

"Lisbeth… am I… a bad person?" Asuna's question was partially muffled by the tears caught in her throat.

Upon hearing those words, Lisbeth understood everything. Asuna felt guilty for living. No matter how true she was to herself those few days ago, she would always feel guilty for living while others died.

Lisbeth was here to comfort Asuna no matter what, so she said, "Are you crazy? Of course you aren't!"

This did not seem to reassure Asuna though, and she asked yet another question.

"Liz, those people died because of _me_. thought that I had everything figured out, but then this happens. Do you understand what it's like to have the blood of innocents on your hands?" She asked with anger swelling up in her voice. "Those people could have been like us, Lisbeth. They had families praying for their safe return. But now they're…" Asuna couldn't even finish before bursting into tears once more.

"Asuna, two days ago, you told me that I had taught you something. Are you just going to let that lesson go to waste because of something that you can't control?" Lisbeth asked, getting more emotional as she went along.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, words actually got through to Asuna. Perhaps, even the Commander needed a friend.

"I'm sorry, Lisbeth. You're right." She said.

"Huh?" Lisbeth gasped at the unexpected apology.

"You did teach me something very important, and I must not forget that lesson. But, I just can't face the Assault Team right now. Please, just… give me some time. I will return to my usual self eventually, but for now, please take care of the Assault Team."

Right now, Asuna would have to face her personal demons before she would be fit to lead again. Lisbeth, on the other hand, had other problems.

 **Four Hours Later**

Brent had been requested by Lisbeth to meet her in this location. Now, he was here, yet there was no sign of Lisbeth.

He had found it particularly odd that she wanted to take the time to meet him in person, when messaging would be much easier.

"Boo!"

The girl had startled Brent from behind. Upon turning, he confirmed that this 'girl' was Lisbeth.

"Why do you always greet someone by sneaking up from behind?"

"Part of my charm, thank you very much! Anyway, let's get down to business. Asuna's going to be taking a break from the Assault Team, so she left me in charge."

"I can already see where you're going with this Lis-"

"Let me finish. What I want you to do is point the Assault Team in the right direction for just a couple of days at most."

Lisbeth knew that she could not lead the Assault Team properly, but the celebrity dual-wielder Brent could. As for Brent's thoughts on the matter, he didn't necessarily want to take charge, but he couldn't just let the Team fall apart.

"Fine. What do I need to do?" Brent caved in to Lisbeth's plea.

"Just tell them that Asuna put you in charge. If all else fails, show 'em a few dual-wielding sword skills." She giggled as she ran off down the alley.

After careful planning, Brent decided to wait until tomorrow to announce his temporary leadership. For now, he needed to get some rest.

 **That Night**

Asuna had purposely slept all day and half the night. She thought that less people would be out in the dead of night, making it a perfect time to make her grand escape.

The girl had decided on a matter that most had forgotten. She felt that just maybe, if she could finish this one and for all, the scars engraved upon her soul would heal. Her plan was simple, hunt down Kayaba and finish this. If she accept a duel under the same terms as Kirito and beat him, then everyone would be free from this prison.

Asuna quietly waddled down the stairs of the inn. Every creak seemingly warned of failure to come, but she didn't care.

When she had finally reached the bottom, the only one around was the NPC innkeeper. _You won't tell,, will you?_ She joked to herself to ease the unbearable tension. Nevertheless, Asuna still went on and left through the front door.

Her prediction had been mostly correct, for very few people dotted the city's streets. Those who did stay on the streets at nights were probably beggars, which means that Asuna would probably be the least of their concerns.

She darted for the teleport gate in the middle of town. Her first thought was to skim every floor, but with each floor so massive in size, she was bound to miss something. Plan B would be to contact her info dealer, Argo.

Argo the Rat was the most trusted information dealer in all of Aincrad. With her abundance of sources, almost anything could be found out. For the right price, of course.

She sent the message asking Argo for her services, but there no response yet.

 _She's probably asleep like most normal people._

As Asuna waited beside a building for the sun to rise, she was still slightly tormented by the guilt. The guilt for living while everyone around her died. This was the mental sca inflicted upon her.

Soon, she would return to her role as Commander. For now, though, Asuna had to focus her efforts on finding and eliminating Heathcliff.

 _Asuna waited for the sun to rise. It felt as if an eternity had passed before she was granted the privilege of seeing the golden light extend its warm reach._

 _Ding!_

Asuna looked up with her tired eyes to find that a message had been sent.

 _Probably from Argo._ She thought as she tapped the blinking icon.

 _Hey Asuna, can you meet me at the forty-fourth floor teleport gate? It's an emergency._

 _-Argo_

Confused and unknowing, Asuna trotted for the seventy-seventh floor teleport gate. Once there, she would use it to reach floor forty-fourth.

As she confirmed her request to be transported to the another location, Asuna was whisked away by a _whoosh sound._

When her body finished the materialization process, the town of Buk was all she could see. This floor was mostly covered by a dense forest, making it much harder to navigate. Nevertheless, the peacefulness of the town soothed Asuna.

In the middle of the quaint town lied a large clock tower. It towered above everything else on the floor. Even every building in the town was dwarfed by the collosal clock.

"Asuna!" A skippy voice shouted, knocking her out of her trance.

"Argo, long time no see! How's business going for you?" Asuna said while showing a weak smile.

Immediately, Argo could tell something was off with her client. The light from her eyes had now been mercillessely drained. She knew Kirito's loss had wrecked Asuna, yet loss was not the thing which had stolen that beautiful light; rage was. Indeed, the hatred in her cold stare was evident no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"Asuna… what happened?" Argo asked, trying to discover the source of the darkness.

"What do you mean? I just wanted to buy some information from you."

"You know damn well what I meant. Please, tell me what the matter is. It's not healthy to build up anger like this"

This conversation had diverged into something unexpected. Originally, Argo was going to meet Asuna about a request. She thought the Commander could provide her temporary residence at the guild HQ while some things blew over after a bad deal. Instead, she had veered the course of the discussion toward Asuna's problems.

After receiving yet another intimidating stare, Argo stopped pushing, but gave Asuna one last warning.

"Don't do this. You don't want to live your life this way." Argo pleaded to no avail.

Asuna had made up her mind. Heathcliff, the creator of this game as well as their torturer, would be shown true power.

"Actually, there is one piece of info I require. Provide it for me, and you'll become extremely wealthy." Asuna offered.

Argo was not intending to sell out so easily, but she was curious as to what Asuna truly wanted.

"And what would that be?" Argo asked.

The next sentence muttered by Asuna would chill Argo to the bone.

"The location of Heathcliff. Or, who many others know him by, Kayaba Akihiko.

 **One Hour Later**

Brent had been tasked with handling the Assault Team while Asuna recovered. It would be very nerve wracking to announce his leadership, but he had to do it.

Asuna had sent the Assault Team a message about Lisbeth's temporary leadership. Then Lisbeth announced that a meeting would be held on Tuesday morning.

It was now Tuesday, and Brent had arrived at the podium to speak. Slowly but surely, people gathered in the wooden stands.

Eventually, the stands were full, and it was about nine o' clock.

 _I can do this_. He thought to himself

The dual-wielder walked up on the platform, where he managed to hold his urge to heave as the Assault Team stared intently.

"H-hello." He said. The crowd started to gossip amongst themselves.

"I-I'm Brent. And, well, I'm going to lead the A-Assault Team for a little while." The paralysis numbed his body, but not an in-game paralysis, no. Instead, this was the product of Brent's severe stage fright.

The crowd filled with confused looks. Then Brent realized the problem; he was dressed in his 'Hidden Robe', an item which concealed my name and much of my face. This item was necessary, as the attention garnered from having a 'unique skill' would be too much otherwise. He unsheathed his two swords from their holster, and activated the skill 'Trapper'.

The tips of the swords turned light blue, and the Assault Team gazed on in wonder. Then, the weapons burst forward with his body close behind. He stepped to the left, directing his hits as he moved.

Countless _Oohh's_ and _Aahh's_ erupted from the crowd. Those at the very front of the stands could feel the air being slashed from a mere few feet away.

Panting and exhausted, Brent finished the skill. Immediately, the reactions changed. The Assault Team relinquished all rights to lead. But Brent had another problem. One that he never thought would worry him.

 _What do I do now?_

The crowd looked expectant. Brent had to think of something fast.

"Well, uh, now we shall, uh, level up even more? Because, well, the boss will be much stronger, I think." He announced.

The Assault Team seemed to be quite alright with this plan, for even though they sensed Brent's nervousness, they did indeed agree that this boss raid could not end up like the last.

To Brent's surprise, the crowd did not make too much of a fuss. In fact, they agreed with him. Realizing that speaking wasn't as hard as he thought, he continued in a more fluent voice.

"Thanks for coming everyone. Hope to see you guys again soon!"

 _Phew! Can't believe it went so well._ Brent thought cheerfully to himself. _Maybe this won't be that bad._

With his first obstacle in leadership now out of the way, Brent went off to follow his own orders and level up.

 **The 44th Floor Town**

Asuna had failed in her objective to obtain information on Akihiko Kayaba. It was foolish to think Argo would know where he was. She thought about anything else which could lead her to Heathcliff. He had to have had a real ally in this game; someone who logged into SAO with him.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to go on there either. Even Argo would be unable to help her with this one.

Just then, the small frame of what appeared to be a little girl came into her vision.

The girl wore red thin clothes under a metal chestplate. She appeared to be limping. It was almost like a fierce wound had impaired her ability to stand up properly.

An unknown force urged Asuna to help this girl. She didn't fully understand the reason she felt so inclined to aid this child, but something felt so right about it. Unable to fight against this feeling, she ran to the limping girl.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?" Asuna had to kneel down just to see the petite face.

"Huh...?" The small girl asked in a shriveled voice.

"You just looked like you could use some help." Asuna smiled comfortingly to ease the girl.

"Well, I guess, but I don't want to trouble you."

"No, it's alright. I don't have anything else to do."

It was true. Asuna had no trail to go off of, and she silently vowed not to return until she had fulfilled this personal task. She had nothing better to do, so she might as well lend a helping hand.

"Okay. Then can you help me to a nearby inn?" The small girl asked.

"Ah, yes. The inn should be nearby. Say, what's your name?"

"Silica. My name's Silica."

 _Where have I heard that name before?_ Asuna wondered to herself. _I know I've heard it somewhere._

"Silica, huh? That's a cute name." Asuna said, pushing away today's previous worries for the time being. It would be best to appear friendly to this young child, or else she might frighten her.

Silica focused on Asuna, which revealed her nametag. "Asuna." She muttered.

 _Wait, is this the… Commander Asuna? She doesn't look as scary as I had heard._ Silica realized in her head.

"Miss, are you the real Commander Asun-."

"Shh, shh!" Asuna put her hand over Silica's mouth. There were few people on this floor, making it easier to sneak around. This is why Asuna had chosen this floor as a meetup location. Still, it would be best if no chances were taken. Silica's eyes grew wide, and Asuna realized that she had startled her. She tried to pass her sudden change in mood off as a joke.

"Well, you know, it's our little secret. Wouldn't want everyone down here to know where I am. Consider yourself to be a lucky exception." Asuna said, trying way too hard to sound cheery.

It was not due to her popularity or fame that Silica was surprised. Instead, it was because of Asuna's partner in life.

 _Kirito…_ The thought popped back once again in her head. She was reminded of that day three months ago.

It was a cold winter's night on the forty-sixth floor. That day, the Assault Team should have finally finished the boss raid.

 _Guess I should ask him how it went._ Silica had always messaged Kirito after a boss raid. He should have been a pretty powerful member of the Assault Team, so he would probably participate in every battle. _I know he's the strongest._

That day, Silica had mainly kept to herself indoors, meaning that she had not yet read the newspaper. She did this purposely, because it gave her an excuse to message Kirito for information.

Silica opened her friend list and scrolled down to 'Kirito'.

It was greyed out.

 _Wha…_ Her voice trailed off as panic set in. _This has to be a mistake, or-or some kind of glitch._

She ran out the door, down the stairs, and out the door. Silica ran to the local newspaper boy who should still be out at this hour.

Her heel burned as if the plane of hell itself was attached to her ankles as she ran as fast as she could.

When she had finally reached the boy, Silica didn't bother using manners, and snatched the paper from his hands.

 _Commander Heathcliff- The Enemy?_

No matter how bold and shocking the heading was, she cared little for it. Silica skimmed through the page, disregarding all other text until found mention of Kirito.

Very quickly, around a paragraph down from the beginning, she came across a sentence which had stolen all breath from her lungs.

 _Eyewitness reports say that the player Kirito, who recently gained coverage after he revealed that he possessed a unique skill, was mercilessly cut down by Commander Heathcliff._

"No…" Silica refused to believe this story as tears formed in her eyes.

"It can't be… No why…" Tears choked her words, and soon, the beast-tamer Silica was on the ground. Her relentless sobbing gained some attention from the onlookers. All that remained of the cheerful girl was a sulking mess.

"I have to be strong. I have to be strong. I have to be…" The girl continued to cry as hot streams of liquid poured down her young face.

By this point, many people had now gathered around. Some even offered to help the poor Silica. Every single person knew who the beast-tamer was since she had occupied the forty-fourth floor for awhile now.

"Silica, dear. Please let me help you darling." Sabrine, a local shopkeeper who often sold fresh fruit to Silica, said empathetically.

The only response Sabrine got in return was even more sobbing. All she could do was pat the girl's back and try to ease the pain.

None were confused about the reason Silica was crying. Kirito was all she talked about. Every time she had received a message from him, the whole town knew about it.

"Kirito… you can't be… dead."

 **Present Day**

Ever since that night, Silica had been trying to get stronger. In her mind, the only way for Kirito to love her was to become powerful. Sometimes she would push herself too hard, and would pass it out from exhaustion. It was by mere luck that death had not yet claimed her soul.

Still, despite her rigorous attempts at getting stronger, she still had a long way to go until she reached the Assault Team.

Today was one of her 'leveling' days. This was why she was so injured. Of course, she didn't actually feel any "real" pain, but her left leg refused to move nonetheless.

"Are you, Kirito's Asuna?"

Asuna now remembered where she had heard that name.

 _Kirito had a friend named Silica. This is her._

"Yes. I-I'm Kirito's Asuna." She stuttered while speaking.

Before Asuna had any clue, Silica wrapped her small arms around her.

"I'm sorry… for your loss" The girl began crying. Knowing no other option, Asuna returned the hug.

"How about we head to a restaurant? My treat." Asuna said while comforting this child. Though they had met not once before, somehow, she felt as if she and this little girl had already connected.

 _So this is what Kirito meant to everyone. It's strange that, even though he's not here, he still has the power to bring people together. If only he would've taken advantage of his leadership skills instead of wasting his time as a soo player._

 _ **Asuna had asked if Silica recommended anything good, to which she had replied, "no." Fortunately, this was the answer she had been hoping for. Asuna sent a message to Lisbeth, who had not yet found out that Asuna had left. Not that she could hide for too long anyway, for her guildmates and Lisbeth could easily see her location from their UI. The message she sent asked Lisbeth if she could borrow her guild's kitchen for the day. Upon receiving permission to do so, Silica and Asuna set their destination for the sixty-eighth floor. While the two girls headed to the guild 'Misty Fog's' base, Brent dealt with his own issues.**_

"Damn bugs." He cursed as the insectoid creatures swarmed him.

Brent was grinding monsters in the unknown outskirts of floor seventy-eight, desperately seeking EXP. He had originally brought his whole guild along to help him, but when they noticed how difficult the monsters were getting, everyone headed back to town. Everyone, except for Brent.

Now, he regretted that decision as swarms of bugs called 'Mossquitoes' pinned him against a pit of quicksand

This floor was mostly desert. Filled with sand and monsters alike. It was abnormally small for a floor, and endless cliffs adorned all sides.

A deadly trap Brent had might soon be facing was quicksand. As far as he knew, no casualties had been caused by it, but that would soon change as more people came up to explore unconquered terrain.

Brent tried to cut himself a way through the endless swarm, but to no avail. He could already feel his left foot gravitating toward the middle of the sinking hole. His HP was being slowly chipped away by the weak but plentiful attacks. With no other option, he focused all his might into the skill 'Eclipse'. It would require the every last bit of his strength, but it might decimate all of the attacking 'Mossquitoes'.

His body went into the motion, and the powerful dual-wielding skill activated. Thirteen lethal hits rained down upon the swarm. Every second, five or more were obliterated. Brent turned his body the right in order to carve out a path.

By the fifteenth hit, nearly all of the 'Mossquitoes' had been destroyed, and a large opening had been made. Unfortunately, the bugs took advantage of Brent's brief pause to gasp for air. During his split second of vulnerability, the 'Mossquitoes' nudged him about an inch back. While at first glance it may not seem like a major setback, one inch was all it took for his left foot to slide into the quicksand. Then, his right foot gave out, and now Brent's whole body was being dragged into the abyss.

"Urgh!" He fought with everything, but in the end, Brent could not fight the system as his predecessor had. His 'Steel Longsword', which had previously been grasped in his right hand, made contact with the quicksand and slipped from Brent's grip as he tried to fend off the attacking insects. His left arm had already been pinned to the sand, so he was now defenseless. The quicksand pulled him in, and in seconds, he had been completely submerged.

When Brent opened his eyes, he was falling from the sky. The ground appeared to be-

"The seventy-seventh floor…" He muttered.

Indeed this was the seventy-seventh floor, and he was soon to make contact with it. Hard.

 _What to do. What to do. What to do._ Brent thought as he barreled ever faster to the ground. So far in SAO, fall damage was non-existent, but as far as Brent knew, no one had ever fallen from a height like this, or at least lived to tell the tale.

Brent saw his longsword gleaming in the sunlight. He grabbed the falling weapon carefully, and now had two swords once more

 _Maybe if I use the swords to break my fall? There's no other option. Then again, fall damage might not be in this game in any way shape or form._

He decided to swing his swords downward to take the fall. It might break them, but even if there was a chance of losing his life, then it had to be done.

Brent quickly closed to the ground

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet.

He thrust his two swords downward with all of his little might.

"Ahhh!"

The swords hit the ground so hard that they shattered upon impact. Thankfully, Brent's body didn't, but a numb feeling spread up his arms from the collision.

 _Damn it, now I'm out here unarmed,_

He pulled out a teleport crystal, but this zone was labeled as a 'dungeon area', meaning that all the crystal was ineffective. The quicksand was a well-crafted death trap for players.

 _Guess i'm on my own._

 **Meanwhile**

Silica sat quietly at the table. Asuna felt a little worried that she had scared the child, but in actuality, she was very happy. Her beast, Pina, had been killed during an accident on one of her leveling runs. Ever since then, the girl had found no new reason to live.

When Asuna was the only one to offer help today, she had originally felt very worried. Many people had betrayed Silica's trust, which caused Silica to become less social. But after Asuna showed compassion to her, then revealed that she was Kirito's former wife, Silica just _had_ to trust her. In short, she was very thankful for Asuna's help.

"Oh! It's ready" Asuna popped upon the oven and pulled out the perfectly cooked turkey.

"Is it really that good, Miss Asuna?" Silica asked excitedly.

"You'll see." Asuna replied.

She cut the turkey into tender pieces and put them on two plates. Next, Asuna poured fresh lemonade into cups and put it all on the table. She had prepared a large bowl of onion soup as well, so this was very much a full meal.

"Let's dig in!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Wait, aren't we forgetting something?" Silica asked. So far, she had been very quiet, almost observing Asuna's every movement.

"What? What did we forget."

Silica bowed her head and folded her hands.

"Dear God, thank you for this wonderful food. Thank you for allowing me to meet someone like Miss Asuna, so I could finally have another friend. Please continue to bless me, and take care of Pina in Heaven. We love you, God. Amen."

Asuna could not put her feelings into words. Somehow, this little girl who she had barely known was able to touch her heart.

"Miss Asuna, aren't you going to say amen?" Silica asked.

Asuna smiled genuinely and said, "Amen."

Silica took a little bite of chicken and chewed it. She looked shocked as the flavor revealed itself.

"Miss Asuna… This is sooo good!" Silica ate faster and faster. Soon, there was nothing more on her plate.

"How did you make something so tasty?" Silica asked, desperately wanting to find out how it was possible to cook something like this in Aincrad.

Asuna pointed her finger upwards in a matter-of-fact fashion and said, "Just have to fully max out your cooking skill!"

 **Two Hours Later**

Brent had been resting in a nearby cave for awhile. He reassured himself that he was just tired, but part of him believed that he was giving up.

All of his strength had been drained, and there were many monsters all around. He had plenty of weapons in his inventory, but none were that strong. Brent had no one-handed swords, so he couldn't even use his dual-wielding sword skills. What he did have was a fairly decent katana called 'Exquisite Blaze', but Brent had no skills for it. In fact, his proficiency level in 'katanas' was zero.

 _Guess it'll have to do._ Brent thought as he equipped the 'Exquisite Blaze'. After stepping out of the cave into the blinding sunlight, Brent looked around for the quickest way out of this dungeon.

On the outside, this area looked nothing like a dungeon. It was an open field with great blue skies, nothing like the dark and dusty caverns typically associated with dungeons.

This area had not yet been discovered, for it was specially sealed off from the mainland of floor seventy-seven by a teleporting platform.

Right now, Brent had absolutely no idea of where to go or what to do. Katana in hand, the dual-wielder set off to locate the teleporting platform.

About an hour after setting out, Brent had yet to find any trace of the platform, and he tried to to avoid monsters, so EXP wouldn't even be gained from this trap.

 _I don't care about the EXP. I just want to get back alive._

Despite his growing pessimism, Brent continued on.

The sun was now fading into the horizon, and Brent still did not know where to go. He had searched high and low throughout this place, yet there was no sign of anything besides green grass and 'Water Lizards'. It was when all hope was lost, something occurred.

"You fell down here too?" A small voice coming from seemingly nowhere echoed out.

Upon searching for the owner of that voice, Brent noticed a young boy around his age behind him.

"Well, I mean, yeah. I fell through quicksand, and now i'm here." Brent's tone may have come off as aggressive, but he felt that he could not be blamed for it. Brent had spent most of the day wandering this endless dungeon in search of a way out.

"Wait a minute, you look familiar." The boy said.

 _Please don't say. Please don't say it. Please don't say it._ Brent internally pleaded.

"Hey! You're that dual-wielder!"

 _Here we go…_

Brent had replaced his camouflage with an iron chestplate for defensive purposes, but maybe that was a bad idea.

"Yeah, that's me." Brent responded with a sigh. All of this recent attention he'd been getting was not something he enjoyed. It was strange too, for when he was little, fame seemed so awesome, but now he understood that it had a price.

"Well I'll be damned. You've come in my hour of need." The boy said. "Please, sir, help me get out of here. I'll give you everything I've got, I just don't want to die."

It was at that moment Brent finally understood his duty as a dual-wielder. It wasn't just about fighting with two swords, it was about using the dual-wielding power for good. That is what Kirito did before him, and now Brent would have to do the same. Even though he knew he would never be as strong as Kirito, he still had to try. That's why the one who possesses the skill would be the one who faces Heathcliff atop Aincrad.

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter three! Now, before I go, just remember that Brent isn't the main character as Asuna is, nor is he supposed to be better than Kirito. He just looks up to Kirito, and will try to follow in his footsteps as the Assault Team progresses.

Also, sorry if this is more of a "development chapter", as not much really happened. Chapter three is supposed to set the stage for the future, so be ready for more floor-clearing in the next chapter! Also, things _will_ get darker as the description promised, and Asuna will be the main lead soon enough.


	5. Chapter Four - Her Return

**Chapter Four - Her Return**

 _ **After having dinner with Silica, Asuna went back to her and Kirito's home on the 22nd floor for the night.**_

It hadn't been since Kirito died that Asuna had been here. She thought about coming back from time to time, but felt that it would be much too sad. Unfortunately, Asuna didn't have many other places to go, and she didn't want to return to the guild's HQ until she found Heathcliff.

 _It's just how we left it…_ Asuna thought as she remembered those joyful days.

She walked around the house slowly, taking in everything, every memory that she held so dear to her heart.

Asuna was examining an older picture when she got a message.

" _Hey, Asuna, it's Lisbeth. I know you want to be alone right now, but we have to talk. I chickened out, I'm sorry. As soon as you put me in charge of the guild I panicked and made Brent the temporary leader. The only problem is… he's been gone for awhile. I can't get in contact with him. He's probably just in a dungeon zone on the current floor, but I'm still worried. Anyway, the Knights of the Blood Oath need a leader, a real one, not like this Nautilus guy who wants to be. They need you back, or else things may get real bad."_

 _Nautilus is trying to take over?_ Asuna thought worriedly. _I've only been gone for a day and things are this bad already? Maybe… just maybe, the guild really does need me._

Asuna finally snapped out of her vengeful delusions, and she realized that she would never find Heathcliff, or at least not until they got to higher floors. She needed to return to the guild. Asuna decided to stay the night at the cabin and leave at dawn.

Asuna crawled into the bed that seemed so much larger without Kirito. She cried, and cried, and cried. Her pillow was drenched in tears by the time she finally fell asleep.

 **Meanwhile, at the KoB's Headquarters on the 55th floor…**

"No!" Lisbeth yelled. "The Knights of the Blood Oath already have a leader, and her name is Asuna!"

"You mean the girl who will destroy this guild and lead us to ruin?" Nautilus snapped back. "We cannot put our soldiers lives in the hands of someone so unstable. Besides, at the pace she's clearing floor's, we'll all die of natural causes long before we beat the game."

 ****Suddenly, the door to the office Lisbeth and Nautilus were arguing in burst open as a familiar figure stepped in.

"Brent!" Lisbeth exclaimed in surprise. "I've been worried about you."

"I'm fine, just got caught up is all." He shrugged off Lisbeth's excitement and turned to Nautilus. "I think you should leave now."

Nautilus seemingly disregarded Brent's asking of him to leave. He was too thrilled on having found Brent, the famous dual-wielder.

"You're actually _the_ Brent? I think you and I need to discuss something. I have a very important offer for you, but I'd like to tell you in private." Nautilus glared at Lisbeth to let her know that she was a problem.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave." Lisbeth said as she walked out of the office.

Nautilus locked the door behind her, leaving only him and Brent now.

"You don't have to lock the door, you know. It seems a bit overkill." Brent said, but Nautilus just ignored him.

"Brent-" Nautilus began but Brent cut him off.

"Don't call me by my first name. We're strangers, you don't know me." He said firmly.

"Alright, well, whatever-you-want-me-to-call-you, I need your help. You see, a few other people and I are putting together a team of Unique Skill wielders to aid in floor clearing. We think it would significantly help us. Of course, we need _every_ Unique Skill Wielder, which means we need you too." Nautilus said.

"I don't know. It seems sketchy. Can I meet some of the other people you work with, just to see if this is legit?" Brent asked.

"Hmm." Nautilus contemplated for a moment. "I suppose that can be arranged."

"Alright then, I'll add you as a friend and we can discuss this later on." Brent added Nautilus to his friends list as they said goodbye to each other.

Nautilus unlocked the door and left the office. He shot Lisbeth a threatening look as he walked past her.

Lisbeth walked back into the office where Brent was, and asked him where exactly he had gotten stuck.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story…" He sighed.

Brent went on to tell her about his adventure after falling through the quicksand. He told her how he had broken his swords after using them in a fall, and how he had saved a lost boy who had fallen through the quicksand a couple hours before he had. Lisbeth noticed how excited Brent was while telling the story, and she was proud of him for realizing his importance as a dual-wielder. It was due to her prideness that she felt as if she should reward him. After Brent finished his grand story, Lisbeth asked him a question.

"You must need two new swords right?" She asked.

Brent nodded.

"Then allow me to craft you new swords, just like I did for the dual-wielder before you." She said, trying not to tear up.

It suddenly struck Brent that Lisbeth held him in the same light as she did Kirito. She may not have had feelings for him like she did for Kirito, but she still thought of him as a dear friend and a worthy successor to the dual-wielding skill.

"Lisbeth, you know you don't have to do this."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I know I will always be Kirito's blacksmith, but he would want me do this." Lisbeth's eyes started to swell up as nostalgic memories filled her head.

Brent wasn't sure what to say, so he worded his response as simply as possible. "Okay."

 _ **The Next Morning at the Cabin on Floor Twenty-Two…**_

Asuna made a good breakfast for herself considering what she had in her inventory. She was able to make some banana oatmeal milk she had bought earlier to drink.

 _The sun is starting to come up. Guess that means I should be going soon._ Asuna ran to the bathroom to get washed up.

Being in this certain bathtub brought back some _dirtier_ memories. Asuna shook her head to force herself to stop thinking about that kind of stuff.

After she got out of the tub, Asuna put on her uniform and equipped her rapier, which seemed almost nostalgic to hold.

Asuna was just stepping out of the door when she felt a comforting presence surround her. The presence made her feel warm and safe. Asuna knew in her heart that it was Kirito still watching over her.

With a bid goodbye to her beloved house, Asuna used her teleport crystal to go to the KoB's headquarters.

She appeared right in front of the massive base. The guards looked down at her in shock.

"Commander Asuna! You've returned!" A young guard yelled from a watchtower. Asuna simply smiled at him as she walked inside.

Asuna walked up the steps to the top floor, where the commander's designated room was.

She opened the door to her room to find Brent sitting at the desk going through papers.

"Let's see, how should we tackle this boss… We could surround it and just keep switching, or-" Brent finally noticed Asuna standing directly in front of him grinning.

"Lisbeth said you wouldn't be coming back anytime soon." He said.

"I don't blame her, I went crazy there for a minute. But that doesn't matter, I'm back now."

"That's good, because I don't know how to run the guild at all." Brent sighed in relief

 _ **Asuna took command of the guild once more. After spending the three weeks clearing the labyrinth with her guildmates, she now stood at the door to the 77th floor boss room with an army of players behind her.**_

"Alright, people. You all know what to do, so I'm not even going to worry about giving a speech. But before we go, I do want to say one thing…" Asuna flashed a determined smile at them and yelled, "Let's win!"

All of the players stormed into the room to be met with a giant slithering serpent called [Constricting Beast].

"Surround it!" Asuna yelled.

But it was hard to surround due to its agility.

"Ahh!" The snake had wrapped its tail around Klein and was squeezing as hard as it could.

"No!" Asuna screamed in panic as she jumped and slashed at its tail. She was able to slice through its skin, and the part that held Klein was severed from the rest of the snakes body.

The serpent was too distracted by its injuries to notice Brent coming up from behind it with his two new swords in hand.

"Oooooh!" Everyone gawked unanimously at Brent's golden pair of swords as he sliced at the snake's neck.

"Stop standing there 'ooing' and attack with your partners!" Asuna ordered as everyone got back in line.

Asuna's system of attack was working as the snake sustained great damage. The snake bit back hard though, and snatched up a face familiar to Asuna.

"Son of a bitch!" Agil yelled out as the serpent's teeth dug into his skin.

It was then that Klein jumped up and used his strongest skill aiming at the snake's head. His attack landed, but he was now vulnerable.

"Attack, fellas!" Klein told his guildmates as they all lined up.

Every single member of Fuurinkazan used their best attack, and the snake's health quickly drained to zero.

Klein, exhausted and worried, looked up to find his friend in good condition.

"Thanks, man." Agil hugged Klein, who had been like a brother to him since Kirito died.

Everyone continued to the 78th floor. The future was looking up now.

Asuna nodded at Klein from a distance, who smiled and nodded back.

"We're going to beat this game, Kirito." Asuna whispered to herself.

 **Author's Note**

We're back once again! Sorry for not being consistent with my schedule, things have just been weirder in my personal life. Anyway, enough about me, how 'bout the shorter chapter? Hopefully things won't be this short in later chapters, but I can't promise anything. I feel like I had to get the story back on track with episode, so things should get even better next chapter. (They'll be an epic fight next chapter, so be on the lookout for that ;) Take care everyone.


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